Counterbalanced cabinet door assembly



Sept. 11, 1956 A. JANOWS COUNTERBALANCED CABINET DOOR ASSEMBLY FiledJune 19, 1953 u H 4 w M; A W 3 /v E INVENTOR.

Illilllbl] H Zex Jazwws COUNTERBALANCED CABINET DOOR ASSEMBLY AlexJanows, Wilmette, 111., assignor to Alex Janows & Co., Chicago, Ill.

Application June 19, 1953, Serial No. 362,912 I 1 Claim. (Cl. 312319)This invention relates to a cabinet construction, and more specificallyto one including sliding or rolling doors and means for facilitating theclosing thereof.

A principal object is to provide a compactly arranged counterbalancingmeans for a sliding or rolling door which may be accommodated within ahollow corner post of the cabinet while preserving to the greatestextent the customary dimensions of the post.

Another object resides in accomplishing the foregoing objective by theuse of a corner post for the cabinet including a removable panel whichnot only permits easy initial assembly of the counterbalancing means,but which is thereafter just as readily accessible and convenient formaintenance purposes.

Broadly regarded, the invention contemplates the provision, incombination with a cabinet having sliding or rolling doors, which doorsmay be mounted vertically, horizontally or at some angle, of means forfacilitating the closing of the door comprising a double-purchase sheaveand a counterweight mounted interiorly of a hollow corner member of thecabinet. The construction and arrangement of the corner member is suchas to carry out the normal function thereof, both mechanically andesthetically, but there is provided a detachably securable panel forpermitting initial assembly of the counterbalancing means therewithinand later access thereto for maintenance and repair. An arrangement inaccordance with the foregoing finds many applications. For example, inconnection with refrigerated cabinets, as used in restaurants, where acareless or indolent employee may not be too attentive to his duties, adoor negligently left only slightly ajar may add considerably to thecost of power used for refrigeration.

In the drawing, which shows one preferred form of carrying the inventioninto practice:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet embodying the invention, andshowing the doors closed;

Fig. 2 shows a view similar to that of Fig. 1, and partly sectioned toreveal the counterweight arrangement;

Fig. 3 shows a typical, vertical, transverse cross section through thepair of doors; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section, somewhat enlarged, and taken on a horizontalplane to show details of the corner post construction.

Turning now to the drawing there is shown a cabinet of a type frequentlyemployed in restaurants and which includes a storage space and a frontpanel in the form of a frame 11. Ordinarily such cabinets are of sheetmetal, and the invention will be described with such construction incontemplation although, as will appear, the elements of the cabinet maybe fabricated from other, equivalent materials.

By way of example a pair of laterally-shiftable, vertical doors 13 and14 is shown, each being of customary hollow construction and providedwith rollers 16 riding in channels 17-17, as will be understood, whileat their upper margins the doors are guided in similar channels lit-4S.Insofar as concerns the instant invention the Hired tatemen Q 2,762,675Patented Sept. 11, 1956 rollers 16 may be omitted and the doors allowedto slide in thechannels. Each door is provided with a pull 19,

Referring in particular to Figs. 2 and 4, the right hand vertical memberof the frame 11 is carried around the adjacent end face 22 of thecabinet, as indicated at 23, and serves to conceal the vertical channel24 into which the shanks of the several screws 25 extend and thefunctionof which will appear. Spot welded, as at 27, or otherwisesecured to the member 11 is a box-like post 28 comprising threepermanent walls 31, 32 and 33, the latter of which may be a portion ofthe end wall 22 of the cabinet;

Concealed within the post 23 and supported thereby is pair of brackets3535 between which a sheave 36 is rotatably mounted. One end of aflexible cable 37 is threaded through an aperture in a vertical edge 38of the door, e. g. 14, and a clamp 41 is applied to secure the cableagainst detachment. Obviously the cable may be attached to the door inother ways. The cable is passed through a hole in the wall 31, over thesheave 36, reeved around another sheave 42, and thence passed upwardlyfor securement of its other end to a bracket 43 on the interior of thepost 28. Sheave 42 is retained between cheeks 49-49 forming an upwardextension of a counterweight 45.

The means just described constitutes a concealed, simple, eifectivearrangement for facilitating closure of the door, and may be arrangedfor leftor right-handed installations without the need foroppositely-constituted parts and the manufacturing and stocking problemsattendant thereupon. By the addition of another sheave below the sheave36 the cable 37 may be secured near the bottom margin of the door in theevent that movement of the latter may be found to be facilitated to abetter degree by counterbalancing thereof at that position. Moreover aspring may be substituted for the weight 45 and secured between thecheeks 49-49 and a hook at the lower end of the post 28. Moreover suchhook may be anchored at its fixed end to an eye bolt which may bearranged with a nut for axial adjustment for varying the tension in thespring, and therefore its biasing action on the door.

One of the distinct advantages of the inventive organization resides inthe construction of the corner post 28 whereby the counterbalancemechanism is concealed from view, yet is conveniently accessible forservicing. To this end I provide a panel for enclosing the rear of thepost 28 including a bent-over or hook-shaped margin 61 adapted to engagea flange 62 extending outwardly from the wall 31, and a flange 63abutting the web 64 of the channel 24 whereto it is secured by theplurality of screws 25. It will be noted that by removing the screws 25,which are readily approached from within the cabinet, the panel 60 maybe unhooked from the post proper to expose the parts within for repairor maintenance.

The provision of the channel 24 and its concealment from without by thecorner piece 23 permits the use of the screws 25, while maintaining theexterior aspect esthetic in appearance. If desired a plurality ofdepressions may be substituted for the channel 24.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will beunderstood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto sincemany modifications may be made, and I therefore contemplate by theappended claim to cover any such modifications as fall within the truespirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

A door assembly for a cabinet wherein the door is arranged for lateralshifting movement from closed to open position and vice versa comprisinga door, a guideway for said door, a vertical, hollow post of rectangulartransverse cross section at one end of said guideway, a sheave fixedlymounted within said post, a counterweight movable vertically within saidpost and having a sheave, a cable fixed at its end to said door and postrespectively and reeved over said sheaves whereby said counterweight iseffective to bias said door to closed position, said post comprisingthree permanent walls and one detachably securable wall, tongue andgroove means common to respective edges of one of said permanent wallsand said detachable wall for frictionally locking at least those edgeswhen the detachable wall is assembled, said detachable wall having atits opposite edge a marginal flange directed inwardly of the cabinet forconcealment therewithin, the permanent wall opposite said'last permanentwall having a marginal flange juxtaposed to said outturned marginalflange and offset inwardly of the cabinet to define a space exteriorlythereof, removable fastening means joining said juxtaposed flanges, theposition of the flanges being such that any portion of the fasteningmeans protruding through the flanges lies entirely within said space andwithin the exterior surface of said cabinet, and an exterior paneloverlying said post and fastening means to conceal the same from viewwithout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS754,425 Cluss Mar. 15, 1904 1,038,160 Leonard Sept. 10, 1912 1,169,596Avery Jan. 25, 1916 15 2,085,832 Shochet July 6, 1937

